Throwback Thursday: Building The Little 383 Small Block That Could

Here we are, the end of the week is almost here. That means Thursday has landed on our doorstep. With the end of the week nearing, are you making garage plans about what you need to accomplish this weekend? Or, have those plans already been made? If your plans for enjoying some garage time with your project include deciding what engine to build, you might want to check this out.

In this edition of Throwback Thursday, we’re taking a leap back to June 2010, to check out: Building The Little 383 Small Block That Could. When it comes to rebuilding the Gen I SBC engine, selecting the right combination of parts becomes the ultimate performance question. With many different varieties of cubic-inch combinations available, deciding what engine to build can be confusing. In our throwback article, Bobby Kimbrough works with JBA Performance to assemble a stout 383ci small-block stroker.

Proper machine work is key to engine longevity. Just slapping new rings and bearings in a used engine is asking for trouble.

With so many performance parts manufacturers producing some really great engine parts, the question became: “Where do you draw the line?” In the original article, he broke down the criteria for selecting engine parts in several categories. Obviously, he needed to make the selections based on measurable criteria, so that added another level of difficulty in selecting the best parts for this build. In the end, he relied heavily on experts. Our readers.

“We talked to home project car builders, the engine shop specialists at JBA Performance, and we listened to the readers on our message boards,” he wrote. By word of mouth, he began to filter the selection of engine components down to a manageable level.

Once the Eagle crankshaft was placed in the block, end-play could be checked.

In the original article, Bobby took a deep dive into explaining every aspect of the build, and highlighted all of the parts used to create this tire-frying small block.

There is a lot more information in the original article, and you’re sure to find out everything you need to know. That’s why I chose Building The Little 383 Small Block That Could as this week’s Throwback Thursday article. Take a look, as I am sure you will find some useful information.

About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.